


a uniting force; something that restrains; one who provides bail or acts as surety

by Code16



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Siblings, Alternate Universe- Medieval (sort of), Medieval/fantasy au, Power Dynamics, might have more chapters but might also not have any more chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 23:34:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11001327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Code16/pseuds/Code16
Summary: "Then they come around the corner and John jerks straight again the wall. Those aren’t castle soldiers. That’s theHigh Court guard."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a fusion with an original verse of mine.

The manacles, John thinks, might be a bit overkill. Not that he can’t pick the lock on the cell bars - he can, of course, has been able to since it was Aunt Regent sending him down here and not Mark. But he can pick the lock on the manacles just as much (Mark remains the combination of too cheap and too confident to spring for artifacted cuffs), and doing it is just about as pointless. The only way out of here is past the guards, and while he can, obviously, handle them as well, it’s not as though things get much better on the other side. And it’s hardly fair to have the guards suffer over him, and then no doubt be blamed for it after. 

(Though maybe a sprained joint or two can keep them off the wall and away from Mark’s _fucking suicidal_ endeavor. And maybe he can just keep making Mark send guards at him until he runs the hell out of soldiers and has to come up with an idea that doesn’t involve taking on the High Court.  

_ Right _ .)

At least he’d listened about getting Jess out first, and the kids. At least the High Court has been known to have some mercy on the blood-unrelated choiceless. At least (and silver lining to Mark’s overconfident idiocy) it might be a short battle.

John stretches his legs out against the floor and waits to see if the tower will be brought down on top of him.

 

The footsteps down the hall rouse his attention when they come. Too many for one guard, and he doesn’t think it’s time for a meal anyway. Had Mark reconsidered? Planned to 'offer him another chance to rethink his hasty actions’ (so gracious). 

Then they come around the corner and John jerks straight again the wall. Those aren’t castle soldiers. That’s the _High Court guard_. He puts himself on his knees - not that he’s expecting them to like him, but. (Unless - had Mark actually _changed his mind_?) The lead guard stops in front of the cell.  

“You John?” 

“I am, ma'am.” 

“Put your hands through the bars.”

They fasten the new manacles before unlocking the old (these ones, he can note, are artifacted), open the door when he’s away from it again. Have at least two weapons on him that he can see.  _ Mark what did you do? _

 

They take him up to the council hall. Mark’s chair is empty. (John’s, obviously, is as well.) Kara sits in hers, not manacled, but with at least half a dozen High Court guard on her. She looks over at them, chin high, face showing nothing. His lead guard nudges at him.

“This him?”

“Yes. That's our brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5/25/17 brief content edit


	2. Chapter 2

In the hall’s anteroom, they put him on his knees again. The leader of the guard drags up a chair to sit across from him. Show of casualness. As he remembers, they like that kind of thing, sometimes.

“Now. What exactly was going on here before we got here?” Talking to representatives of the High Court has its own advisory ground principles. Don’t lie (no one’s exactly sure how good the High Court artifactions for detecting lies really are - not ‘nothing’ and not ‘everything’, but that leaves a lot - nor how they work. But it’s better to err on the one side, if you can.) Be polite. And don’t try to curry favor by fawning you don’t mean.  

John tries to pick his words. (Casualness is for the the guard, not for him.)

“My brother the Lord Steward received your commander’s dictate that we were to shelter and provision your division on its way to the insurrection in the North. He expressed his decision and intention in council to instead attempt to delay your division, in hopes of gaining favor from the Northern stewardships. I… strongly believed that he should reconsider. He found me to be in defiance of his authority, and ordered for me to be dealt with in accordance.” 

“And your sister?”

“She did not speak with her opinion in the council. She departed to attend to her duties.” “ _ If you’re going to pick a fight, then I have work to do.”  _ Mark’s guards were holding him, hadn’t taken him out of the room yet. He’d watched her walk out.

 

They take him back to the council hall after a few more questions. Put him in a chair (not his chair - too close to Kara, probably) but keep the manacles on. Kara’s gaze settles on him for another moment. Not his face - looking for marks of anything beyond somewhat rough handling, probably. He considers a slight headshake; discards the thought. Best not try the guard, certainly not now. 

Around them, the room remains in motion - guards coming in and out, consulting, leaving again. At one point a shaking servant is brought in with a tray of food. The guard pushes him at Kara.

“Give her the first of everything, then take the second yourself.” He draws his knife to accentuate the rest of his delivered threats. Kara eats without changing expression. No one dies. 

From the changing talk, John thinks he begins to gather the shape of what had occurred on the other side of that ‘before we got here’, while he was shut away. Kara, under the cover of going to ready the troops, had crossed to the other side of the walls in secret and made her way to the High Court soldiers’ encampment. There she had appraised them of the circumstances and offered them her passage back inside and the cooperation of as many of her soldiers as would be swayed by the order and the threat of the Court, as relayed and supported by their Heir. 

Most, it seemed had been swayed. By now only Mark and a few loyal guards remained, barricaded inside the central tower. 

 

If it weren’t for the importance of keeping up appearance (not to mention of not making sudden movements) John thinks he might sink to the floor, relief and gratitude furled in his chest, almost vertiginous in his head. Might try to embrace Kara, if that were a good idea under any circumstances whatsoever. He has no delusions about altruistic motivations. She’d have been held to account with the rest of them, on inevitable defeat. And the chance to (finally) get Mark out of the way can’t have not played its part. But there is duty to their people in her, he knows. And in the end it barely matters. Barely matters that this isn’t done yet, could still go all sorts of wrong. That however much his history with Mark hardly engenders fondness, there are still things he’d rather not see. (For all the choice he’ll have, and that’s the  _ best _ end). Their people will be safe. That above all. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from several (some minorly modified) [Merriam-Webster definitions of "bond"](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bond).
> 
> [My tumblr for these kinds of things](http://findundergrounddragoutofwater.tumblr.com). I love fandom social things, and anyone who feels like they might want to message etc me for any reason is encouraged to totally do so.


End file.
